Aer Lingus Regional is to commence flights to Newcastle and East Midlands from Belfast City Airport following the collapse of Flybe.
East Midlands and Newcastle were the airline’s only destinations not served by other carriers from Belfast City Airport and Aer Lingus Regional has said the commencement of these routes will ensure that all those left vacant will now be re-established.
Regional carrier Flybe, which operated scheduled services from Belfast City, Birmingham and Heathrow to airports across the UK and to Amsterdam and Geneva, ceased trading in the early hours of Saturday.
Read more: Flybe passengers being offered special fares by other airlines
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the announcement that the company had gone into administration for the second time in three years, asking passengers booked on Flybe flights not to travel to airports.
It urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.
In a statement on Thursday, Emerald Airlines, the largest operator out of Belfast City Airport and operator of the Aer Lingus Regional network, announced the two new services to Newcastle and Nottingham East Midlands from Belfast City.
The move means that all domestic regional points vacated by Flybe at Belfast City Airport will now be re-established by Aer Lingus Regional.
The new Belfast City to Nottingham East Midlands service is due to commence on March 26, initially as a daily service, and will increase up to double daily from mid-April. The daily flights between Belfast City-Newcastle will start on April 28.
Already providing connectivity to Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, and Southampton from Belfast, the two new services to Newcastle and Nottingham East Midlands, in addition to the airline’s summer services to Jersey and Newquay, further cements its intention to provide efficient, great value, and sustainable air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Ciarán Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines said: “We are very pleased to be strengthening our schedule out of Belfast City Airport. As the demand for travel options from Belfast only increases, these two new routes will no doubt be warmly welcomed.
“Earlier this week we announced that we will be adding 15,000+ seats immediately across our existing network from Belfast City, and we will continue to grow these services in the months ahead.”
With more flights and more choice for the travelling public, the airline says it's progressively bolstering its summer 2023 schedule. Emerald Airlines will add 180,000+ extra seats this summer from Belfast City Airport, operating over 400 weekly flights this summer to and from Belfast.
Katy Best, Commercial Director at Belfast City Airport, said: “Following the collapse of Flybe, East Midlands and Newcastle were the airline’s only destinations not served by other carriers from Belfast City Airport.
“Having Emerald Airlines step-up and operate the Aer Lingus Regional services on both routes, in addition to its already extensive network from Belfast City, is therefore excellent news as it leaves no Flybe destination unserved.
“Maintaining a robust route network and ensuring connectivity to and from Northern Ireland remains our priority, and we look forward to continuing and developing our successful partnership with Emerald Airlines.”
Meanwhile for industry colleagues who have been adversely impacted by the Flybe administration announcement, Emerald Airlines is holding open interviews this Thursday and Friday, February 2 and 3 in the Maldron Hotel, Belfast. Based in Belfast City Airport, these roles include Direct Entry Captains, Co-Pilots, and Cabin Crew.
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